PAGADIAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR—Jonel Bonganciso has already taken three Chooks-to-Go Manok ng Bayan Player of the Game awards for BYB Kapatagan.
But beyond the stat sheet, his biggest contribution was his defense in the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup Mindanao Challenge.
That defense saw a challenge from Mac Baracael and Reil Cervantes on Wednesday night’s Buffalos win against Globalport-MisOr, 63-62, at the Pagadian City Gymnasium here.
And the 6-foot-2 enforcer delivered anew.
“Ang mindset ko lang madepensahan nang maayos sila kasi Mac Baracael at Reil Cervantes ‘yun eh. Mga beterano, kaya na-challenge ako,” said Bonganciso, who tallied
The Lapulapu City, Cebu native limited Cervantes to a woeful 3-of-13 shooting. Meanwhile, Baracael saw himself held to 6-of-14 for a combined 27 points.
But how did Bonganciso get this good in defense despite not being a varsity player during his college days at Cebu Institute of Technology-University?
It was because of his experience in recreational leagues in the provinces. There, because of his strong body, he always ended up guarding the opponent’s foreign players.
“Dati naglalaro ako sa mga ligang labas, sanay na ako dumepensa sa mga import na big man. Depensa lang kahit malaki ‘yung kalaban!” he said.
But his fortunes turned around when KCS-Mandaue head coach Mike Reyes gave him a chance to play for the eventual champions in the Visayas Leg.
There, he registered modest numbers of 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 8.5 minutes.
His usage went up a lot for Kapatagan, as did his numbers. He went for 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in 26.1 minutes.
And now that he’s slowly becoming a household name in the Chooks-to-Go-backed South-based regional pro league, Bonganciso has no plans of stopping anytime.
“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako dito sa Chooks-to-Go VisMin Super Cup kasi naipapakita ko kung gaano kalakas si Hellboy talaga,” said the 32-year-old, who is fondly called “Hellboy” by his teammates.
